Is a touch of Hollywood needed in your campaign, or does your message stand strong on its own? Maddi Kealy, Marketing Coordinator at big group, dissects the glitz, glamour, and game-changing impact celebrity endorsements can have in advertising.
Glitz. Glamour. Game-changer. The boundary between fame and product is fading, as celebrity endorsements become a formidable tool for brands seeking credibility.
The key to a successful celebrity endorsement is authenticity. As much as you may love a celebrity and their work, are they the right fit for your brand? Think of it as pairing mulled wine with a Christmas market – the celebrity and brand should make the whole experience richer.
Seeing your favourite actor, musician, or athlete endorsing a product feels like a trusted recommendation from a friend. It’s also a win-win for both parties involved. Celebrities get a new audience (along with a hefty paycheck), and brands get a golden ticket to instant recognition. Celebrities and brands can create magic, but when the partnerships are not believable, results fall short of expectations.
It’s a topic that’s widely discussed and for good reason. Celebrities have a unique power to amplify a brand’s message and reach a wider audience. But with great power, comes great responsibility.
A misstep can lead to a PR disaster. I think we all remember the ill-fated Pepsi ad with Kendall Jenner attempting to solve world peace with a can of pop. That’s the kind of danger we’re talking about. In the year that followed, the purchase consideration of Pepsi plummeted by 33%. Brands must be careful not to trivialize serious issues or be seen to exploit the celebrity and brand’s audience.
Michael Jordan and Nike arguably have the best celebrity endorsement in history. The basketball legend’s association with the brand didn’t just sell shoes; it inspired a generation of athletes and sneaker lovers. In their first three years of the endorsement, Nike aimed to make $3 million from the “Air Jordan”. Within its first year on the market, it shattered this goal and made $126 million. That’s the kind of impact an authentic endorsement can have.
It’s important to remember that an endorsement like this doesn’t happen overnight. The audience needs time to associate the celebrity with the brand and recognize the connection between them – even George Clooney didn’t have people asking for free Nespresso pods straight away. It’s good practice to view celebrity endorsements as a long-term strategy, one that can take a brand up to 2 years to reap the rewards.
While M&S had some tricky PR conversations last month, their saving grace was their Christmas campaign featuring Ryan Reynolds. Paired alongside long-standing M&S ambassador Dawn French, Ryan Reynolds (and Rob McElhenney) voice a pair of mittens, in a six-part “blockbuster” ad. Holding more relevance out of the pair, Ryan Reynolds now possesses more power than ever before. No longer just a comedic actor wearing a superhero suit too tight for him, he’s stretched his name into a small part of Wales, trying to get Wrexham FC into the jackpot of football (one day Ryan, one day).
Interestingly this is not Reynolds’ first time advertising a product/brand, he holds stakes in F1 team Alpine, has invested C$740 million into Wealthsimple, has his own gin company – Aviation Gin, and even started his own film production and digital marketing company (Maximum Effort) – for most of these ventures he often stars in the advertising material. His funny man, star power and our pre-existing familiarity with him results in increased trust in the brands he’s associated with, helping to benefit not only M&S but Ryan’s other companies too. Brands should borrow some of M&S’ approach to influencer partnerships when considering celebrities for endorsement – when researching influencers, brands often need to consider past brand deals. If celebrities’ have worked with any similar brands in the past, then the current brand could lose out if it’s audience links the celebrity to the other company first!
Having a celebrity on your campaign is always exciting, but there is the risk of overexposure. Even the thought of an EE advert has Kevin Bacon burning my eyes. When the advertisement focuses on the celebrity over the actual product, it diminishes the brand’s value, reducing it to nothing more than a pursuit of social influence.
Brand reputation is also a high risk to be aware of. A celebrity’s value will always transfer to the brand they’re endorsing. Whether it’s an insensitive investment or leaked tweeting spree, research in a celebrity’s history in the pre-campaign stage is vital to save your brand from any potential negative associations. Adidas paid the price, both literally and morally. For many, Adidas cut ties too late into Kayne’s controversy. When people think of Kayne, they think of Yeezy’s. But many also think of antisemitism. This controversial relation had Adidas report after finally cutting ties with Kayne West, that unsold Yeezy merchandise would lead to the company posting a loss for the first time since 1992.
Maintaining credibility is a constant challenge for brands. When a celebrity endorsement is done right, that partnership can help build a trusting community and forge a meaningful connection between consumer and brand. The real question is do you need them? Rethink what your campaign needs to thrive, is your messaging strong enough without a Hollywood touch or are you doing the same thing as everyone else in your category? Try and recall as many perfumes as you can and then do the same exercise with celebs that have starred in perfume ads. See what you come up with!
If you’re certain you need a celeb, make sure it’s a good fit. Don’t ram it down your audience’s throat for the sake of it, and give it a couple of years to deliver – that’s how you’ll reap the rewards.